Railway and traffic signal control



Jan. 19, 1932. LE ROY WAGNER 1,842,222

RAILWAY AND TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONTROL Filed Aug. 31, 1928 E T Z INVENTOR; i Leroy 12 Wagner.

BY war ATTORNEY.

n aim. 19.1932

, LE BOY R. WAGNER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB 1'0 THE NAGHOD & UNITED STATES SIGNAL COMPANY RAILWAY AND rmrrc SIGNAL common Application fled August 81, 1928. Serial No. 803,280.

My invention relatesto the vehicular control of an automatic trafiic signal, primarily intended for use at theintersection of two thoroughfares, on one of which isoperated an electric street railway.

The main object of my invention is to provide a system wherein the indications of a signal controlling intersecting t'raflic are normally displayed periodically, but withthe 10 approach of an electric street car within a selected zone, will cause the traflic signal to display and prolong, a green proceed indication to favor the preferential movement of the car until it passes the intersection, wherein the said trafficsignal indications will be restored to the periodical control.

The purpose of such an arrangement is to permit a car to have a continuous movement past points where signals controlling traffic are located, thereby eliminating the objection of having cars make long objectional stops at these intersections, and eliminate the traffic congestion that usually results from the slow movement of street cars.

My inventionresides in a new and novel combination, the construction and relation of various electrically operated switches, circuits and other parts hereinafter more fully described and disclosed in the drawing.

In the drawing accompanying my specification: 7 Y

The figure is a schematic drawing showing the electrical circuits of my system, and the location of the various control apparatus.

My invention is intended primarily to be controlled by carsthat are operated with an overhead trolley wheel or current collector W1 mounted on a car by means of a trolley pole, although it may be operated b cars in which current is supplied thereto y other methods.

In the system shown in the figure, the letter D represents a trolley wire. Positioned adjacent the trolley wire D, are trolley contactorsSA and 5A which are normally insulated therefrom, but are electrically conne.ted thereto when the current collector W1 engages the trolley contactors 3A and 5A respectively. The trolley contactor 3A is 50 mounted on the trolley wire D and is placed within a selected proximity on the west approach side of the intersection, re resented 1n the drawingby N, E, S, W. ontactor 5A is mounted on the trolley wire D, on the 'far side of the said intersection.

At the intersection the letters TS represent a traffic signal periodically displaying stop, caution and proceed indications for the W, E electric line trafiic, and the N, S intersecting trafiic.

I also employ an electrically operated re lay R provided with two operating coils and C, and each are energized to produce subsequent operations of the contact plunger P. When a car passes the trolley contactor 3A the coil A is energized and the contact plunger P is attracted thereto, and when the car passesthe trolley contactor 5A the coil C is energized, and the plunger P is attracted thereto returning it to its normal position. The plunger P of relay R is equipped with contact rings A1, A2, A3, and A4. The contact ring A1 normally engages 85 and 86, the contact'ring A2 normally engages contacts and 76, the contact ring A3 normally engages contacts 48 and 49, the contact ring A4 normally engages contacts 37 and 38, and each are brought into this position through the movement of the contact plunger P and the energization of the coil C. When thecoil A is energized, the contact plunger P is shifted, and all the latter mentioned contact rings disengage their normalengaged contacts, and only the contact ring A4 of relay R is brought into contact engagement with any other contacts through this operation. The shifting of. the plungerthrough the energization of the coil A brought the contact ring AA into contact engagement with the contacts 21 and 22 and out of contact engagement with the contacts 37 and 38. 4 It is very evident to those skilled in the art that the relay R may he provided with. a counting device, that is, the initial energization of the operating coil A will cause 95 a shifting of the contact plunger P as described, but subsequent energizations of the coil A will be so registered, that a corresponding total number of energizatlons of the coil V C will be required before the contact plunger P can be restored to its normal position. In the drawing a simplied conventional form is employed to show the relay R, but it is very evident to those skilled in the art that this change requires no change in the electrical operation of my system.

The relays T, T1 and R1 that I employ are used to produce the desired reversals the trafiic signal indications when a car operates the relay R to take control of the traliie signal indications, and when the relay R is restored to normal, to return the display of the signal indications to the periodical control.

The relay T that I employ is equipped with a retarded release time element factor TR, and this may be produced by many well known constructive principles of the art, primarily through the use of a dash-pot arrangement or similar construction. The relay T is also equipped with an operating coil L6 and contact bridging bars A5 and A6. When the coil L6 of relay T is deenergized, the contact bridging bars A5 and A6 rest against their back contacts. The contact bridging bar A5 makes contact engagement with its respective back contacts 89 and 90. In this position the contact bridging bar A6 does not make contact engagement with any contacts, and rests against contacts for stops as shown in the drawing. When the coil L6 of relay T is energized the contact bridging bars A5 and A6 disengage their respective hack contacts and come into contact engage ment with their respective front contacts. The contact bridging bar A5 disengaging the contacts 89 and 90- and coming into contact engagement with its respective front contacts 57 and 117. The contact bridging bar A6 disengaging the contacts that were used as baclcstops and coming into contact engagement with its respective front contacts 59 and 6G.

The relay Ti that I employ is equipped with a retarded release time element factor TIR ot the character employed for relay T. The relay T1 is equipped with an operating coil L5") and a contact bridging bar A8 and A9. When the operating coil L8 of relay T1 is deer rgized the contact bridging bars AS and All rest against their respective back contacts. The contact bridging bar A8 rests against its back contacts but no electrical circuit completed, and the contacts are merely used as back-stop. The contact bridging bar A9 rests against its back contacts 29 and 42 and makes contact engagement therewith. When the coil L8 of relay T1 is energized the contact bridging bars disengage their respective back contacts and come into contact engagement with their respective front contacts. The contact bridging bar A8 coming into contact engagement with its re spective front contacts 31 and 115, and the contact bridging bar A9 coming into contact engagement with its respective front contacts 26 and 94.

The relay R1, that I employ, is not rovided with any retarding time element actors, that is, the contact bridging bar A7 makes instantaneous movements when the operating coil L7 oi' relay R1 is energized or deenergized respectively. W hen the coil L7 of relay energized the contact bridging bar A7 makes contact engagement with its respective front contacts 66 and 67, and when the coil L7 is deenergized the contact bridging bar disengages these contacts and com-es into contact engagement with its respective back contacts 62 and 63.

I also employ in this system, a motor driven time element device controlling circuits to: theperiodical display of the sto caution an i proceed signals. The letter ll. represents .1 motor that drives the controller segments C2, C3 and C4, through the shaft 116., With reference to the drawing, it can be clearly seen how the rotation of the cam segments in the direction of the arrow 119 produce subsequent opening and closing of the various contacts controlling the circuits of the signal indications and do not believe that a furth r explanation of how this is accomplished necessary.

The outline figure T5? is a symbolic representation of a trafiic signal. housing three decks of signal indications. Each deck is equipped with separate indications to be displayed in the four directions. In the upper deck. the red lenses 104 and 105 that face I? and on the intersectien, and the green :e 2'1 102 and 103 that face VI and E on the line. have a common light source re by Li. In the center deck the four 106, 107, 108. and 109 display an an caut n indi ion. and 1h an indepet ide light so .rce, lens 1th. I a lig t source represented by L, lens 1i ing a light source represented by L2,. 1 having a light source a-presente hv the lens 109 having a light scarce rcpr ed by L3. These indications. however, at displayed simultaneously. but are displr at intervals that will be described a. description. in the lower deck the lenses 112 and 113 that face N and o intersection. and the red lenses 13.0ann. that face W and E on the electric line, h a common light source represented by For clarity of the description each. oi three decks are shown in a plan View, this must be taken into considemtio the signal system is described so t proper signal indications will he i their proper directions.

The indications of the traffic signal are nor mally displayed periodically; that is. e signal indication displays a certain p. termined time before the display of anot i signal indication occurs, all of which in motion only, and is given with the contact engagement.

ours in a definite sequence of a predetermined cycle. Starting for instance at an arbitrarily selected time of the cycle, we have a displayal of a green signal in both directions for the W and E electric line traflic, and a displayal of a red signal in both directions for the N and S intersecting traflic. The circuit for these indications is under the control of the cam C1 of the motor driven time element device. With reference to the drawing, it can be seen that these indications will continue to display until the cam segment C1 permits the contact arm 32 to disengage the contacts 33 and 34, which is, as shown, one half of the total cycle. It will also be noted, that. just as the cam segment C1 nears the end of its period, the cam C2 embraces the contact arm l2 of the motor driven time element device and the contacts 4a and 45 are brought into contact engagement, resulting in a displayal of an amber caution signal to warn the moving electric line trafiic that a change is about to be made in the electric line indications. It will be well to note that this indication is not given to all four sets of the traflic at the same time, but to the trafiio that is green proceed electric line signal indicating. Cams C1 andC2 disengage their respective contact arms simultaneously, and instant to this operation the cam 04 embraces the contact arm 80 of the motor driven time element device and the contacts 81 and 82 are brought into These operations resulted in the former described indications going to darkness, and the displayal of a red indication for the W, E electric line trafiic and a green indication for'the N, S intersecting trafiic. pla'yal of these indications resulted in the movingtraiiic comingto a stop, and the traftie that was at stop to be permitted to proceed. With reference to'the drawing, it will be noted that these indications will continue to display until the cam segment C4 permits the contact arm 80 to disengage the contacts 81 and82, which is, as shown, one half of the total cycle. It will also be noted, that just as the cam segment Ct nears the end of its period, the cam C3 embraced the contact arm of the motor driven time element, and the contacts Hand 72 were brought into contact engagement, resulting in a displayal of an amber caution signal to warn the moving intersecting traiiic that a change was about to be made in the signal indications. This cau-.

tion indication was not given to the four sets of traihc at the same interval, but was given to the trathc that was in motion only, and was given with the green proceed signal indicating. The cams C3 and C4 disengage their respective contact arms simultaneously and instant to this operation the cam C1 embraces the contact arm 32 andthe signal inlt will be noted that the dis- 1 dications are continuously displayed through the same cycle as described.

When the current collector W1 engages the trolley contactor 3A, the contactor will be electrically connected and of the same potential as the trolley Wire, and the coil A of relay R will be energized and shift the plunger P of relay R, bringing the contact ring A4 into contact engagement with contacts 21 and 22, and removing the contact rings A1, A2, A3 and A4 out of contact engagement with their normal engagedcontacts, as was heretofore described. The circuit for the energization of coil A of relay B being completed from the trolley wire 1), through the current collector W1, through the contact strip of the trolley contactor 3A, wire 98, coil A of relay R, wire 99 tothe ground G. As soonas-the current collector tactor, the coil A of relay B was deenergized but the plunger P of relay R remained in the shifted position. If at the time the/plunger P of relay R operated, the traihc signal was displaying a green W, E electric line indication and a red N, S intersecting traflic indication, of the indications, but the operation of relay R would remove the periodic control of the automatic motor driven time elementdevice, and would establish a circuit to prolong the display of these indications until the current collector W1 cameinto contact engagement with the trolley contactor 5A. The circuit for prolonging the display of the green W, E electric line indications, and the red N, S

no change would occur in the display intersecting trafic indications, being comthe later mentioned indications, wire 8, wire 4:, wire 3, 'wire 2, wire 1, to the common return of the line CK. It, however, the signal was displaying a red indication for the 'W, E electric line traiiic, and a green indication for the intersecting N, S traihc a change would occur in the display of the signal indications, that is, an amber indication would be displayed for a predetermined time and then the signal indications would reverse, wherein a green indication for the W, E electric line traflic and a red indication for the N, S intersecting trafiic would be displayed, At thetime the red W, E electric line trafiic indication and the green N, S intersecting traflic indication was initially displayed, the operating coil L8 ofthe retarded release time element relayTl was energized. The circuit for the energizat-ion of the coil L8 of relay T1 being completed from the positive side of the line BX, through wire 12, wire 13, wire 14, wire 15, contact arm 80 of the motor driven time element device, contact 81 of contact arm 80, contact 82 of the stationary contact arm 83, through the stationary contact arm 83, wire 84, contact 85 of relay R, through the contact ring Al on the plunger P or relay R, contact 86 of relay R, wire 87, wire 95, operating coil L8 of relay T1, wire 11, wire 3, wire 2, wire 1, to the common return of the line CX. lVhen the relay R operated, and shifted its contact plunger, the contact ring Al on the plunger P of relay R disengaged contacts 85 and 86 of relay R opening the circuit of the operating coil L8 of relay T1 that was completed through them; however, the red V, E electric line indication and the green N, S intersecting trafiic indication, was not immediately removed. as a second circuit was established through the operation of relay R, to retain these indications until the amber caution indication had been displayed for a predetermined time. The circuit that retained the display of the red V, E electric line indication and the green N, S intersecting trafiic indication, and displayed the amber caution indication for the N, S intersecting trafiic, being completed from the positive side of the line BX, through wire 20, contact 21 of relay R. through the contact ring A4 on the plunger P or relay R, contact 22 of relay R. wire 23, wire 24, wire 25, front contact 26 of the retarded release time element relay T1, through the contact bridging bar A9 of relay T1, through the front contact 94 of relay T1, wire 93, wire 92, lamp L5 which is the light source for the red W, E electric line traffic indication and the green N, S intersecting trafiic indication, wire 6, wire 5, wire 4. wire 3, wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line CX. It will be noted that wire 24 fed two branch circuits, one circuit through wire 25 to display the latter described indications, and another to wire 27 to establish the circuit for the display of the N, S intersecting traffic caution indications. The latter mentioned circuit being completed from the wire 24 through wire 27, wire 30, front contact 31 of relay T1, through the contact bridging bar A8 of relay T1, through the front contact 115, of relay T1, wire 114, wire 52, wire 78. to lamp L3, also wire 79 to the lamp L2. throu h the common connecting wire 7, wire 5, wire 4, wire 3, wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line CX. The circuit of the operating coil L8 of the retarded time element relay T1 was opened through the operation of relay R, resulting in the contact bridging'bars A8 and A9 disengaging their respective front contacts after the time interval of relay T1 had functioned. The disengagement of these contacts resulted in the latter described indications going to darkness, but instant to this operation the contact bridging bar A9 came into contact engagement with its respective back contacts, and a green W, E electric line indication and a red N, S intersecting traffic indication was displayed. The circuit for the latter indications being completed from the positive side of the line BX through wire 20, contact 21 of relay R, through the contact ring A4 on the plunger P of relay R, through the contact 22 of relay R, wire 23, wire 24, wire 27, wire 28, back contact 29 of relay Tl, contact bridging bar A9 of relay T, back contact 42 of relay T1, wire 41, wire 40, lamp L4 which is the light source for the four later mentioned indications, wire 8, wire 4, wire 3, wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line CX. As was heretofore described, the green W, E electric line indication and the red N, S intersecting traflic indication, would now be prolonged under the control of the car until the current collector W1 engaged the trolley contactor 5A.

After the car completed its course of travel and passed the intersecton N, E, S, W' its current collector VVl came into contact engagement with the trolley eontac'tor 5A. The contact engagement of the current collector W1, and the trolley contactor 5A, resulted in the coil C of relay R being energized and the contact plunger P restored to its normal position. The circuit for the energization of the coil G of relay R being completed from the trolley wire D, through the current collector W1, through the contact strip of the trolley contactor 5A, wire 96, coil C of relay R, wire 97, to the ground G. The restoring of the contact plunger P of relay R to its normal position, resulted in the contact ring A4 disengaging the contacts 21 and 22 and coming into contact engagement with contacts 37 and 38, and the contact rings A1, A2, and A3 on the plunger P of relay R being restored into contact engagement with their respective contacts, as heretofore described. If the automatic motor driven time clement device had entered the period for the display of a green W, E electric line trafiic indication and a red N, S intersecting trailic indication, wherein the cam C1 of the motor driven time element device embraced the contact arm 32 and brought the contacts 33 and 34 into contact engagement, no immediate change would occur in the display of the signal indications, but the relay system would be restored to normal and the display of the trafiic signal indications would be restored to the influence of the periodical control, of the automatic motor driven time element device. If however, the automatic motor driven time element device had entered the period for the display of a red WV, E electric line indicaton and a green N, S intersecting traftic indication, wherein the cam C4 of the motor driven time element device embraced the contact arm 80 and brought the contacts 81 V the operating coil L7 ment relay T.

and 82 into contact engagement, a change would occur in the display of the signalindications, that is, an amber caution indication would be displayed :l'for the moving W, E electric line trafiic, for a predetermined time, and then the signal indications would be reversed, resultin in a red indication being displayed for, t e

ing tratiic. The relays and circuits that produced the latter'mentioned sequence of indications being under the control of the neutral relay R1, and the retarded release time ele- It will be noted, however, that as long as the contact plunger P of relay R remained shifted through the energization of its operating coil A, the contact ring Art on the plunger P was in contact engagement with the contacts 21 and 22, and a circuit was establishedfor the energization of of relay B1, wherein the contact bridging bar A7 was brought out of contact engagement with its respective back contacts 62 and 63, and was taken into contact engagement with its respective front contacts 66 and 67. The circuit for the energization of the operating coil L7 of relay R1 being completed from the positive side of the line BX, through wire 20, contact 21 of relay B, through the contact ring A4 on the plunger P of relay BL, contact 22 of relay R, wire 23, operating coil L7 of relay R1, wire 10, wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line OX. As soon as the contacts 81 and 82 or the motor driven time element device were closed, as heretofore mentioned, a circuit was completed tor the energization of the coil L6 of relay T, wherein the contact bridging bars A5 and A6 of relay T disengaged their respective back contacts and came into contact engagement with their respec tive trout contacts. The circuit for the ener- 'zation of the operating coil T6 of relay T eing completed from the positive side of T the line BX, through wire 12, wire 13, wire 14, wire 15, contact arm 80 of the'motor driven time element device, contact 81 of the contact arm 80, contact 82 of the stationary release time element relay T, wire contact arm 83, through the stationary contact arm 83, wire 69, wire 65, front contact 66 of rela RLthrough the contact bridging loar A7 0' relay R1,

front contact 67 of relay 135,1, wire 68, operating coil L6 of the retarded 9, wire 1, to the common return of the line GK. The disengagement of the contact bridging bar A5 of? relay T with its back contacts, opened the circuit for the red W, E electric line indication, and the green N, S intersectin trafiic indication that we" completed throng them, but as this circuit was already openedthrough the initial operation of the relay R, wherein the contact ring A1 on the plunger P disengaged the contacts change occurred in the display of the signal W, E electric line traffic, and'a green indication for the N, S intersectcircuit wire 51,

85 and 86, no immediate their respectwe back indications, however, as soon as the contact plunger P of relay R was restored to normal, as heretofore. mentioned, the'circuit for the operating coil L7 or relay R1 was opened,

ing bar A7 of relay R1 came intocontact engagement with its back contacts 62 and 63, a circuit was completed to continue the display of the green W, E electric line indication, and a red N, S intersecting traflic indication, also to cause a display of an amber indication to warn the moving W, E electric line indication that a change is about to be made in the display of the signal indications. The circuit for the continuation ofthe green of relay T, but the con- W, E electric line indication, and the red N, S intersecting traflic indication,being completed from the positive side of the line BX, through wire 12, wire 13, wire 14, wire 15,?-

contact arm 80 of the motor driven time element device, contact-1 81 of the contact arm a 80, contact 82 of the \stationary contact arm 83, through the stationary contact arm 83,- wire 69, wire 6d, back contact 63 of relay R1, contact bridging bar A7 of relay R1,'back contact 62 of relay R1, wire 61, front contact 60 of relay T, through the contact bridging bar A6 of relay T, front contact 59 of relay T, wire 58, wire 56, front contact 57 of relay T, through the contact bridging bar A5 of relay T, front contact 117 of relay T, wire 118, wire 19, wire 40, lamp Lt, which is the light source for the four indications, wire 8, wire 4, wire 3, wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line GX. It will be noted that the wire 58 ted two branch circuits, one through wire 56 for continuing the display of the green W, E electric line indication, and the red N, S intersecting trafiic indication, and the other to wire 55, which is the for the display of the electric line caution indication. This circuit being completed from'wire 58 to wire 55, through the wire 55, wire 53 to the lamp L, also wire 54; to the lam L1, which are the light sources for the e ectric line caution lndications, through the common connecting wire 7, wire 5, wire 4, wire 3,,wire 2, wire 1 to the common return of the line OX. After the predetermined time interval of the relay T the contact bridging bars A5 and A6 of relay T disengaged their respective front contacts and came into contact engagement with contacts and opened the.

ice

circuits that completed the latter mentioned indications. The contact engagement of the contact bridging bar A5 of relay T with its back contact 89 and 90 permitted the circult for-the display of the red it, E electric line indication, and the green N, S intersecting trafiic indication, to be completed through them, and under the influence of the circuit established at the contacts 81 and 82 of the motor driven time element device. This operation resulted in the relay system being restored to normal and the display of the trafiic signal indications being restored to the influence of the periodical control of the automatic motor driven time element device.

There are, of course, modifications and arrangements of parts and circuits which may be made from those shown in the above disclosure and which will still fall within the scope of my invention.

I claim 1. In a street intersection traflic control signal system, in which a preferred street having an electrical vehicle thereon operating from a current supply feeder may take the right of way indication to the exclusion of the other street, including a plurality of signal lamps; signal timer means for normally cyclically displaying saidsignals to alternately give the right of way indication to the several streets; a vehicle current collector responsive device on the preferred street; super-control means connected to be operated by the current collector responsive device when actuated by a vehicle on the preferred street to render said signal timer means ineffective to normally display said signals and to give a right of way indication to the preferred street and time delay signal control means interposed in the signal control circuits of said super-control means to delay the display of said right of way indication to the preferred street and to display a caution signal to the other street during said delay when the right of way indication is transferred from the other street to said preferred street by means of said super-control means.

2. In a street intersection trafiic control signal system, in which a preferred street having an electrical vehicle thereon operating from a current supply feeder may take the right of way indication to the exclusion of the other street, including a plurality of signal lamps; signal timer means for normallv cyclically displaying said signals to alternately give the right of way indication to the several streets; a vehicle current collector responsive device on the preferred street; super-control means connected to be operated by the current collector responsive device when actuated by a vehicle on the preferred street to render said signal timer means ineffective to normally display said signals and to give a right of way indication to the pre- 

